Top 5 Summer Grilling Ideas for July 4

It's almost required that you grill on July 4th.

Get outdoors and celebrate by building a fire and gathering friends.

Do you need grilling ideas for a crowd pleasing dinner? To help, we’ve put together these top five summer grilling ideas for a crowd. We hope you enjoy these recipes that will allow you to rise above the pack of weekend warrior grill masters.

Recipes

Grilled Salmon

Ingredients

• 14 ounces fresh wild salmon fillet
• 1/2 tbs oregano
• 3 tbs balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 tbs garlic, minced

Directions

1. Mix balsamic vinegar, oregano, and minced garlic in bowl.
2. Brush marinade over salmon and let sit 5-10 minutes.
3. Lay salmon fillets skin side down on grill.
4. Grill 15-20 minutes.

There are a number of ways to cook salmon, but one of the best ways is to cook a couple of fillets on the grill. Throwing together a simple marinade to enhance the flavor of the salmon is easy, and can be done with ingredients in your own cabinet.

There is nothing like catching your own dinner, going home, preparing it, and throwing it on the grill. Grilled wild salmon provides a number of health benefits, and is a great source of protein and omega-3 fatty acids.

Cook salmon to your preference, and reap all the benefits of this savory dish.

Peach Chicken Kebabs

Sweet meets savory in these peach and chicken kabobs. Complete the meal with grilled corn and zucchini.

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast (about 1 large), cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 2 ripe peaches, halved, pitted and cut into 8 chunks each
• 1 small red onion, quartered and pulled apart into petals
• 2 tablespoons orange juice or white wine
• 2 teaspoons reduced-sodium tamari sauce
• 3 tablespoons no-sugar-added apricot fruit spread
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced chipotle in adobo sauce
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 large rosemary sprig to use as a basting brush

Directions

Prepare a grill for medium-high heat cooking. On 4 long metal skewers, alternate pieces of chicken, peach and onion.

In a small bowl, whisk together juice, tamari, fruit spread, chipotle and chopped rosemary. Grill kabobs, turning frequently, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Begin dipping rosemary sprig in tamari mixture and brushing kabobs, turning kabobs frequently, until chicken is cooked through and kabobs are glazed, about 3 minutes more.

Watch and learn how to skewer stone fruit like a pro!

Nutritional Info

Serves 4. Dairy free, low fat.

Per Serving: 160 calories (20 from fat), 2g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 45mg cholesterol, 170mg sodium, 15g carbohydrate (1g dietary fiber, 8g sugar), 18g protein

Note: We’ve provided special diet and nutritional information for educational purposes. But remember — we’re cooks, not doctors! You should follow the advice of your health-care provider. And since product formulations change, check product labels for the most recent ingredient information.

Vegan Cajun Burgers

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked and well drained lentils
• 2 cups chopped dates, medjoul or other soft type of dates
• 1 tablespoon cajun spices
• ¼ teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• ½ onion, chopped in small pieces
• 2 tablespoons gluten free coconut aminos teriyaki sauce or another brand

Directions

1. Pre heat the oven to 300F.
2. If you have a standing mixer use it to mix the all ingredients together, if you don’t have a standing mixer you can use a food processor, it should work well too. Worst case scenario, you could use your hands to mix the ingredients
3. Then form 9 burgers with your hands
4. Heat up a pan and melt some coconut oil in it. Cook the burgers for 1 minute on each side, then lay them flat on a cookie sheet.
5. Bake them into the oven for 10-15 minutes. This will allow the burger to get warm inside it.
6. If you are not planning on eating the 9 burgers the same day, I suggest you only cook them into the pan and put them in a airtight bowl and heat them up later on.

Serve the burgers with fresh slices of tomato, guacamole, and green salad.

Grilled Teriyaki Chicken and Romaine Salad

Consider this your go-to salad all summer long. Tangy teriyaki sauce is delicious for basting grilled chicken, and it makes a surprising dressing for this romaine and red pepper salad, too.

Ingredients

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1 pound total)
• 1/4 cup 365 Everyday Value® Organic Teriyaki Sauce, divided, plus more for serving
• 2 red bell peppers, seeded and quartered
• 1 head romaine lettuce, quartered

Directions

In a dish, coat chicken with 2 tablespoons of the sauce, cover and chill for 2 hours, or overnight.

Prepare a grill or grill pan for medium-high heat cooking. Grill chicken, flipping halfway, until just cooked through, 8-10 minutes. Brush peppers and lettuce with remaining 2 tablespoons sauce, and then grill, turning occasionally, until just tender and charred, 6-8 minutes for the peppers and about 2 minutes for the lettuce. Arrange lettuce on plates, and then thinly slice chicken and peppers and divide among the plates. Serve with more sauce on the side.

Nutritional Info

Serves 4, dairy free.

Per Serving: 190 calories (30 from fat), 3.5g total fat, 0.5g saturated fat, 75mg cholesterol, 400mg sodium, 11g carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 27g protein

Note: We’ve provided special diet and nutritional information for educational purposes. But remember — we’re cooks, not doctors! You should follow the advice of your health-care provider. And since product formulations change, check product labels for the most recent ingredient information.

BBQ Shrimp Kebabs

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb raw deveined shrimp
• 1 green pepper
• 1 medium red onion, quartered
• BBQ sauce*
• 8 wooden or metal skewers

Directions

1. Wash vegetables. Cut into 1 inch pieces.
2. If using wooden skewers, soak them in water 30 minutes in advance. If using metal skewers, brush with oil or spray.
3. Preheat grill on medium-high heat setting.
4. Thread shrimp and vegetables alternately onto skewers.
5. Grill kabobs, for 4-7 minutes, brushing often with barbecue sauce.

*Technically speaking, to barbecue food is to slowly roast it at a low temperature. But in today’s cookout vernacular barbecue is synonymous with cooking with barbecue sauce. This is the marinade used in barbecue cooking. There are many different versions of barbecue sauce, but most include some variation of vinegar and/or tomato paste as a base.

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